Review 3975: Owner, Rome is Home

When

September 2008, 1 week

Location

A renovated well-equipped apartment on the top floor of a romantic building near the Campo dei Fiori. The lcoation is close to restaurants, shops, and an easy walk to the Piazza Navona. The experience was to live as the Romans do.

Nearby Amenities

There is a cafe a few steps from the front door, a supermercato at the back of the building, and a wonderful bakery - very crowded at noon - just across the via. The Campo dei Fiori is another five minutes away on foot.

The House/Apartment

The building (and street) is shaped by the outline of Pompey's theatre. The apartment has everything one would want, was clean and airy with a wonderful view of rooftops: tiles, windows, gardens etc. There is a small kitchen, a living-dining area, a bathroom with small shower, and a large bedroom with a huge shuttered window and old beams in the ceiling. There were perhaps seven or eight other apartments in the immediate building, but in a week I do not recall seeing more than one or two other people. So inside noise was zero.

Garden

There is no outside sitting area, but with the large windows, being indoors is almost as good!

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture was functional. The apartment is clean, as the owners have a couple who live nearby and look after the place. Previous guests and the owners have assembled a large, high quality collection of books and magazines about Italy and Rome, mostly in English. There were chairs enough for for two and probably for two more, and a couch in front of the TV.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

The bed was large and comfortable. There is street noise at night, so the shutters needed to be closed which raised the problem of heat and ventilation, solved with a large fan to keep the air moving. The bathroom was small but functional, with a small shower stall.

Kitchen

The kitchen was small but well equipped with everything one would need to cook full meals. We cooked breakfasts, and enjoyed the experience. The stove is run on gas. We loved the limoncello coloured refrigerator.

Problems or Bonuses

We were surprised and impressed by the helpful concern of the owners Massimo and Biancamaria, who allowed us to contact them using a "house" cellphone if we had problems (I do not recall having this happen). Access (five minute walk) to the tram is excellent (Travestere), and from the tram there is a simple connection to the train for the Airport and the Nuova Fiera di Roma.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

We got the apartment through SlowTrav: the classifieds ad code is 1169. We dealt with the owners via the Internet, and we never actually met them. Massimo's command of English in emails was excellent. The caretaker and his wife were friendly and helpful in getting settled in and upon our departure. They spoke some English. We paid through PayPal (September).

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

I would stay there again, and would (and have) recommended it to others. Our stay in Rome, super, reflected the comfort of the apartment.

The building is very secure, and the apartment has a double set of locks. The elevator is small so people and luggage must go separately.

Things to do in this area

The Campo dei Fiori is exciting, especially when the market is in full swing. In the adjacent streets there are all kinds of small shops and stores to stroll by. The Church of Andrea de Valle is around the corner (cf. Tosca). Restaurants: Trattoria Pallaro just across the street with a fixed "trust me" menu for the jet-lagged; Maschera, owned by a charming young couple with outdoor tables behind our building; Restaurant Constanza nearby with stonework from Pompey's Theatre inside: excellent lobster pasta for two.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.